The Significance of Emotional Intelligence in Contemporary Leadership Techniques

This essay discusses the significance of emotional intelligence in contemporary leadership techniques. It explores trait leadership theory and the need for emotional intelligence in addition to basic intelligence and job-related expertise. The essay also highlights the exceptional leadership technique of Howard Schultz, the Executive Chairman of Starbucks, who blended emotional intelligence in his leadership techniques.

Running head: ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
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1ENTERPRISE LEADERSHIP
Leadership can be regarded as a process whereby, an individual possess the
ability to influence others towards accomplishing and further attaining organizational
goals and success. The concept of trait leadership relies on the characteristics of
several leaders both who successful and unsuccessful and is further employed in order
to make assumptions of leadership value and effectiveness (Northouse 2017; pp2-6).
Several scholars have implemented the trait approach in order to recognize the
physiological, demographic as well as social characteristics with the presence of leader
emergence and the competence of the leader. This paper will intend to focus on trait
leadership and its theory. In addition to it, the paper will also evaluate the reasons why
basic intelligence is unable to suffice the leadership qualities of contemporary leaders
and the significance of emotional intelligence in contemporary leadership technique.
The trait theory of leadership primarily concentrates on the identification of varied
personality traits as well as characteristics, which are associated to successful
leadership practices catering varied situations (Meuser et al.; pp-1374-1403). It must be
noted that one of the earliest form of analysis into the nature of successful leadership
has been initially proposed by Thomas Carlyle. According to him, some of the influence
of trait leadership theory involves specific traits that give rise to certain behavioural
patterns, which maintain its consistency across varied situations (McCleskey 2014;
pp.76-93).
Early trait leadership theorists believed that great leaders must possess basic
intelligence and certain job centric knowledge. In the early 20th Century, certain
leadership traits were investigated in order to determine what resulted certain individual
to become great leaders (Yin et al.; pp.137-145). However, aspects of basic intelligence

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and achieving required technical skills and expertise are not adequate to attain
contemporary leadership techniques. In order to evaluate human factors at any
leadership scenario, the influence of emotions on the individuals have provided
immense contribution to the potential consequences. The notion of emotional
intelligence is referred as the skill to identify one’s own feeling, expressions and also of
others in order to enhance motivation in oneself as well as in others(Joseph et al.
2015;p-298). Leaders in contemporary situation are expected to accomplish effective
organizational consequences namely effectiveness, self-awareness, motivation, self-
regulation, performance and contentment. Emotional intelligence (EI) is broadly
regarded as a chief component of effective and successful leadership. It has been
proposed by some theorists that there is immense potentiality of emotional intelligence
to contribute to the success and achievement of leadership techniques in various ways
(Northouse 2017; pp2-6). The concept of emotional intelligence provides contribution to
leadership techniques by concentrating on five essential factors of leaders’ efficiency
(Romager, Hughes and Trimble 2017; pp-33-42). These elements are the growth and
development of shared objectives, establishing the realization of the significance of
work activities in the followers, reinforcing motivation, and self-regulation and
maintaining enthusiasm, acknowledging flexibility in the process of decision-making and
transformation, and further establishing meaningful recognition for the organization (Van
et al.2015; pp-411-420) . EI has the competence to read and comprehend others in the
social circumstances, in order to distinguish the factors of nuances related to emotional
responses and to utilize such skills and competencies to achieve valuable leadership as
well as team coordination and performance.

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In contemporary times, several scholars have shifted their attention from
unfolding and evaluating the aspects of social intelligence for comprehending the aim of
interpersonal attitude along with the character it adapts in effective compliance. This
kind of intelligence absorbs the ability to observe precisely and further express emotions
and desires. In addition to this type of trait absorbs the capability to comprehend
emotion as well as emotional ideas and knowledge and further regulates these
sentiments to enhance the emotional as well as intellectual development (Serrat
2017;pp. 329-339). Several observations have successfully demonstrated those leaders
or the ones with excellent leadership techniques who persistently succeed their peers or
rivals not only possess immense technical skills but also are more focused on the
aspects related to emotional intelligence. According to Goleman, there are five
elements of Emotional Intelligence at any organization in the Harvard Business Review
article, namely, motivation, self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation or management,
empathy and relationship management or social skills ( Eisner 2016; p-185). However,
these components in amalgamation play a vital role in determining the effectiveness
and success both in the personal life of an individual and also in his followers or at the
workplace in particular. These special elements with the behavioural patterns have an
implicit association with the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of leadership. Self-
awareness helps an individual to be aware of his or her own emotions and activities that
can further be influential to the others. Being aware of one’s own, self in a leadership
position further facilitates to establish a clear perception of one’s own strengths and
weaknesses. People in the leadership position often regulate themselves in rare
occasions have the tendency to attack others or suppress their values and emotions.

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This type of ability of self-regulation intends to envelop the committed and flexible
nature of the leaders to individualistic accountability. However, it must be taken into
account, that self motivated leaders consistently work towards achieving goals and
objectives and have increased the standards of the quality of their work (Van et al.2015;
pp-411-420). The concept of self-motivation determines the way leaders show their
optimistic nature in any critical situation. Leaders having empathic nature have
difficulties to manage an effective team or organization. It must be noted that leaders
with empathic emotions possess the ability to position themselves in other’s
circumstances (Castillo et al. 2013; pp-883-892) . However, they facilitate in increasing
the growth of their team and further challenge others who are performing unjustly give
productive and relative feedback and further pay attention to the ones in need. The
leaders with emotional attribute of maintaining social skills and expertise perform well in
this factor of emotional intelligence can be regarded as great communicators. These
types of leaders possess the ability to acknowledge negative information in the form of
good news. They are considered to have improved social expertise and are further
possess ability of managing transformation and resolving organizational conflicts in a
diplomatic manner.
Emotional intelligence can be regarded as an effective response to the
increasing issues and concerns leaders experience in the contemporary world. With the
escalating budget issues, cost and the enduring demand in order to offer an enhanced
production and have a further necessitate in order to develop an increased level for
leadership techniques (Serrat 2017;pp. 329-339). However, a proper resolution for all
these growing demands and issues can be found within a leader who acquire effective

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technical expertise along with other social as well as emotional competencies. Such
abilities would facilitate leaders in accomplishing and acquiring the challenges and risks
and further maximise the abilities and potentialities of an organization whilst attaining
one’s own personal agenda and purposes (Van et al.2015; pp-411-420). In order to
climb the crucial contemporary organizational ladder, leaders must possess sufficient
competence within the chosen domain and further acquire a unique sense of emotional
intelligence to achieve organizational goals and success.
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that emotional
intelligence has immense significance on the effectiveness of leadership techniques and
further to achieve organizational growth and effectiveness. This essay has focused on
the trait leadership and its theory, by identifying the need of emotional intelligence apart
from basic intelligence and job related expertise and knowledge. The exceptional
leadership technique of Howard Schultz, the Executive Chairman of Starbucks, can be
sited as an instance, has blended an effective emotional intelligence in his leadership
techniques ( Eisner 2016; p-185). Schultz has associated the idea of emotional
intelligence with his commitment towards establishing relationships with his employees
and further comprehending their needs and desires. He had a strong believe that
enhancing increased level of motivation amongst the employees regarding their
effective association with Starbucks. He further believes that organizational
effectiveness only comes by instilling confidence and motivation in others.

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References
Castillo, R., Salguero, J.M., Fernández-Berrocal, P. and Balluerka, N., 2013. Effects of
an emotional intelligence intervention on aggression and empathy among
adolescents. Journal of adolescence, 36(5), pp.883-892.
Eisner, S., 2016. The" In-Factor": Signature Traits Of Innovation's Leaders. Journal of
Applied Business Research, 32(1), p.185.
Joseph, D.L., Jin, J., Newman, D.A. and O'boyle, E.H., 2015. Why does self-reported
emotional intelligence predict job performance? A meta-analytic investigation of mixed
EI. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(2), p.298.
McCleskey, J., 2014. Emotional intelligence and leadership: A review of the progress,
controversy, and criticism. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 22(1),
pp.76-93.
Meuser, J.D., Gardner, W.L., Dinh, J.E., Hu, J., Liden, R.C. and Lord, R.G., 2016. A
network analysis of leadership theory: The infancy of integration. Journal of
Management, 42(5), pp.1374-1403.
Northouse, P.G., 2017. Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage
Publications. pp2-6
Romager, J.A., Hughes, K. and Trimble, J.E., 2017. Personality traits as predictors of
leadership style preferences: Investi-gating the relationship between social dominance
orientation and attitudes towards authentic leaders. Soc Be-hav Res Pract Open J, 2(2),
pp.33-42.

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Serrat, O., 2017. Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. In Knowledge
Solutions (pp. 329-339). Springer, Singapore.
Van Deursen, A.J., Bolle, C.L., Hegner, S.M. and Kommers, P.A., 2015. Modeling
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emotional intelligence, social stress, self-regulation, age, and gender. Computers in
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Yin, H.B., Lee, J.C.K. and Zhang, Z.H., 2013. Exploring the relationship among
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